Expert Sleepers ES-5 mk 3

The ES-5 is an expansion module for the Expert Sleepers ES-3 Lightpipe/CV Interface.
It piggybacks on one of the ES-3's stereo channels to provide eight gate/clock/sync/MIDI outputs on the ES-5 itself, plus further expansion headers to connect up to six expansion modules e.g. the ES-4 Gate Expander.
Specifications
The ES-5's specifications are as follows:
• Panel width: 4HP
• Module depth: 49mm
• Digital input: connection from ES-3 module
• Analogue outputs: 8x 3.5mm jacks, DC-coupled
• Output voltages: 0V/5V
• Indicators: LED per channel
• Expansion: 6 headers for connecting expansion modules e.g. the ES-4 Gate Expander
The front panel is drilled for both Doepfer and Analogue Systems mounting holes (using a 'slot' rather than a single round hole). The power connector is a Doepfer standard 16 way IDC, with -12V furthest from the top of the board.
Note that connection to the ES-3 is by a simple plug-in cable for the ES-3 mk2 only. The original ES-3 requires some soldering to add the required connections.
Software Requirements:
Unlike the ES-3 itself, the ES-5 requires particular software in order to generate meaningful output signals. Currently, the only such software is the "ES-4 Controller" plug-in, part of Expert Sleepers Silent Way.
Silent Way is available in AudioUnit and VST formats for Mac OS X and Windows. Use of Silent Way therefore requires a compatible host application (DAW). For Pro Tools users, Silent Way is known to work with the FXpansion VST-RTAS wrapper.
A Silent Way licence is not included with the ES-5 - however, the ES-5 Controller plug-in functions in a licence-free mode, so ES-5 users are not forced to buy Silent Way. Such users can than evaluate the rest of the Silent Way suite in demo mode.
February 2017 sees the launch of the "ES-5 mk3". Functionally equivalent to the ES-5 mk2, the mk3 adds illuminated jack sockets, and matches the look of the ES-8 and the other Feb'17 updates.